Newton Hills State Park offers year-round trails in a beautiful wooded area near Canton, South Dakota in the Sioux Falls area. In the summer, 6.5 miles of hiking trails take you through a hilly deciduous tree forest. In the winter, park management turns the park roads into just over 5 miles of (hilly) cross country ski trails.
The Woodland Trail is a very pretty approximately 2-mile loop that’s great for hiking or trail running. The variety of deciduous trees combined with large stands of sumac and lush plant life on the forest floor make it beautiful, especially in the fall. The Turkey Trot trail connects the Woodland Trail to the Blue Diamond Multi-Use Trail. It is very short and can be accessed by a parking area on the lower park road. A spur heading southeast off the Turkey Trot Trail takes you up a steep hill to an Overlook Tower that offers a terrific view of the surrounding area. The Blue Diamond Multi-Use Trail is shared by hikers, bicyclists and horses. It’s divided into several sections: A, B, C, and D. If you hike all the sections, it’s a little over 4 miles up and down steep, generously-wooded hills. This is one of the most beloved parks in the southeast part of South Dakota. It’s heavily-used, but still offers peace and solitude to those willing to hike a little to find it. It’s one of our favorite places to hike in this area. |